Chances are you may have heard about the water shortages in California. Residents have been asked to limit their water usage by not washing their cars or not watering their lawns. We won't get into those celebrities who complain about the request, and who continue to maintain a prefectly green lawn at their multi-million dollar mansions. However, the drought is real. Perhaps nowhere is it more visible than at the Hoover Dam and the body of water it holds back, Lake Mead.

Lake Mead is the main water source for Las Vegas, and serves as an accurate representation of just how dire the situation has become. Water levels there are the lowest they've been since 1937. However, there are no plans to enact any water usage restrictions for any of the seven states in the Colorado River Basin at this time. But experts do believe that should the drought continue, there will be restrictions put into effect in 2016.

The bad news doesn't end there. The regional water authority is undergoing two, huge tunneling projects – to the tune of $US 829 million of ratepayer money. One tunnel at the lake bottom that will be completed next spring and the other tunnel as an emergency connection between existing intakes. This is a drastic measure to be sure, but it is meant to ensure that the 2 million residents of southern Nevada can still drink from Lake Mead while it continues to recede further into the desert.

Wouldn't it be great if we could devise a way to transport all of our snow out west?

If you have been following the news, you've probably heard about the contaminated western rivers from the abandoned Colorado mine last week. As the latest npr.org article states, "It's been a week since a toxic flood of heavy metals, arsenic and other materials from the Gold King Mine spilled into the waterway, turning it a vibrant mustard color."

The Threats Connecticut May Face

So what can Connecticut residents learn from this incident? While our state is not known as a "mining" state, Connecticut is full or agriculture and industrial areas, which can pose the same threat. As we have mentioned in many other blogs, the location of your home should promote annual water testing from homeowners all around. There are no mandatory regulations for Connecticut homeowners, so it's up to residents to get their water tested each and every year.

Contamination can come from businesses such as farms, industrial mills and other businesses who use chemicals, fertilizers and other possible contaminats that pose the potential risk to enter the ground from water run off and threaten the safety and health of drinking water from wells.

Aqua Pump has proudly served Connecticut and residents with their water testing needs for over 40 years. Along with that experience, comes the knowledge of possible threats and issues homeonwers have in each and every town.

For more information or to contact Aqua Pump for a water testing appointment, contact the team at (860) 684-5349.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?

For starters, your water and its overall health and condition. Water can be affected by pH level issues, odors, hard or soft water, bacteria, iron and everything in between. Aqua Pump can help with water purification, neutrilizers, filters and other solutions to make your water safe and healthy for you.

Certified Operator Program from Aqua Pump is designed to help businesses who require strict regulations and mandatory requirements. Some of those include:

Day-to-day operation of your facility to keep your system in full compliance with CT state regulations

Collection/overseeing the required water testing mandated by the CT DPH

Maintaining the equipment of your water system such as; storage tanks, well pumps, booster pumps and filtration equipment

Keep accurate records of water analyses, repairs, maintenance and so much more.

Many homeowners dont realize that the suggested water testing is once a year. Since there is no mandatory regulations in place, it is up to the homeowner to schedule and maintain these tests on their own. So how and why is it so important to have water tested annually?

First off, many hidden dangers and elements in water can come as a huge surprise considering many dont have warning signs. You could be drinking water that is contaminated and not know it. While we always encourage yearly testing, here is more of a reason to get household water tested:

someone in your household is pregnant or nursing

there are unexplained illnesses in the family

your neighbors find a dangerous contaminant in their water

you note a change in water taste, odor, color or clarity

there is a spill of chemicals or fuels into or near your well

when you replace or repair any part of your well system

In addition to the situations where testing is advised to do so more frequently, you can do your own inspection as well for possible contaminants just by understanding your surrounding area.

is there livestock close by?

are pesticides being used on nearby agricultural?

do you use lawn fertilizers near the well?

is the well located near a road that is frequently salted or sprayed with de-icers during winter months?

Aqua Pump is proud to offer water testing services in Connecticut for both houshold and businesses with our Certified Operator Program. For more questions or to schedule a test, contact our team at (860) 684-5349.

Businesses throughout Connecticut that supply water to customers and employees often times require specific testing and monitoring guidelines suggested by the DWS. Due to the strict regulations and constant monitoring needed to stay within regulations, A Connecticut Certified Operator such as Aqua Pump can handle that. Certification applicants like Aqua Pump must meet a combination of education, experience and examination requirements to become certified.

So who needs a Connecticut Certified Operator such as Aqua Pump?

Certain types of companies that supply water to employees and customers do require someone to take care of their water to protect the people of Connecticut. We offer services if you are looking for a Certified Operator. We take care of public water supplies needs such as Water testing, filtration service, weekly/monthly/quarterly testing, reporting to Connecticut Department of Public Health - Drinking Water Section, and so much more. We offer excellent customer service to any questions you may have on your well system for your Connecticut business.

What Are The Responsibilities Of A Certified Operator?

With this program, Aqua Pump will handle the details needed to keep CT Businesses within regulation with this program including the following:

Day-to-day operation of facility to keep system in full compliance with CT state regulations

Collection/overseeing the required water testing mandated by the CT DPH

Maintaining the equipment of your water system such as; storage tanks, well pumps, booster pumps and filtration equipment

Keep accurate records of water analyses, repairs, maintenance and so much more.

As the Department of Health unveils new and updated regulations for businesses around the state, Aqua Pump has now released their Certifited Operator Program to help businesses manage their water supplies and regulation requirements.

For more information, please contact Aqua Pump at (860) 684-5349 to talk to one of our Certified Treatment Plant and Distribution Operators.

While many of us are counting our lucky stars that we dont live in California and dont have to worry about water shortages, this doesnt necessarily mean that we wont be facing the same issues in the future.

As the CBS news story states, "Water experts say groundwater is like a savings account – something you draw on in times of need. But savings accounts need to be replenished, and there is new evidence that so much water is being taken out, much of the world is in danger of a groundwater overdraft."

Unfortunately, Califonia has some of the best land for growing crops and agriculture. So while they continue to determine the best route to go, everyone in the United States will feel the immediate effects of drought if and when crops fall victim to the very dry weather.

And as the story also states another terrifying fact:

"A 2012 report from the director of National Intelligence warned that within 10 years "many countries important to the United States will experience water problems… that will risk instability and state failure…" and cited the possible "use of water as a weapon or to further terrorist objectives." So what can we do? It starts with us and being aware of the situation at hand.

Aqua Pump has written several blogs in the past about conserving water that we all could read over as a simple reminder. It comes down to basic, simple awareness steps to ensure we have clean water for years to come. For more information or ways to conserve, please look over our other great blogs on our website! For more information on ways to ensuring healthing, clean drinking water in Connecticut, dont heistate to contact our team at (860) 684-5349. Aqua Pump is proudly located in Stafford Springs Connecticut, serving the entire state of Connecticut.

In a previous blog, we talked about earthquakes and how they affect well water and other water sources. However, after doing a little research, what if the lack of water could be playing a role in earthquakes?

According to theguardian.com, the lack of groundwater might be playing a rolde in earthquakes. As they state, "A new study, published in Nature on Wednesday, said groundwater depletion in California's Central Valley – the heart of its agricultural industry – is putting additional pressures on the fault, and promoting the chances of an earthquake."

With the California population continually growing, the chances of ground water be replenished is becoming more and more difficult. With this growing problem, the fault lines will continue to have pressure placed on them.

Earthquakes are a reminder that natural changes in our environment and earth can and will affect our drinking water, making testing that much more important. While we may not have earthquakes at the same magnitude like West Coast locations, even small earthquakes can change your well water. If your area has been affected by a earthquake, make sure you contact your local CT water company like Aqua Pump for more information, steps to take and possible water testing.

We will continue to think of those affected by the most recent Southern California earthquake and will continue to monitor water tables here in Connecticut and the East Coast. Our fault lines and data can teach us so much about water changes and future potential threats.

Have you ever wondered what happens to the massive amounts of salt used on the roads during the winter?? It certainly travels during the thawing months of Spring. Unfortunately, New Jersey may find out the consequences of the salt.

The fact is, when the snow melts, surface water such as lakes, ponds and rivers receives much of the salt from the roads. Not only will this affect fish and other wildlife, humans may taste the repercucussions also.

"Many people may already find that their tap water tastes a bit unusual - even salty - and the situation could get worse.

So significant is the runoff of sodium chloride as this punishing winter draws to a close that some water companies have warned customers their tap water could contain elevated sodium levels - a concern for those on a salt-restricted diet."

Why haven't they treated? They go on to say,

"The company's water quality director, Anthony Matarazzo, said the company did not typically remove the chemicals from its water because "the amount from the runoff is less than the intake found from salt in a regular diet."

For those who are restricted amounts of salt, hospitals using dialysis and other medical issues have been warned. In these instances, changes to water softeners will be needed and applied to offset the influx of salt.

So while New Jersey is already feeling the side effects of winter, Connecticut or other states could also feel the same. For homeowners, its important that you have your water tested especially in issues such as this where our environment has shifted and had major changes such as a hard winter.

For water testing in Connecticut, questions or to learn more, feel free to check out the rest of our website at www.aquapump.com or call us at (860) 684-5349.

In recent days, roughly 42 water tested wells have come up positive for Uranium. The additional testing had been issues after Uranium and Arsenic had been tested positive in other communities. At this time, the other communities have not been specified, this is just one more alarming reason why homeowners should have their well water tested annually.

As NBC Connecticut states"Residents with wells that test positive for uranium at levels above the accepted norm are urged to stop drinking and cooking with the water until it can be treated. According to city health officials, residents can use a filtration system. A reverse osmosis system or an ion-exchange system are recommended by the officials."

The health risks from Uranium and Arsenic can be serious and long-term, meaning, the side effects don't always arise early on.

Regardless of taste of water, residents are responsible for testing and are urged to test once a year. Aqua Pump has been a leader in water testing throughout Connecticut and you can contact us to schedule a water test as well as answering your questions and concerns.

Contact us today at (860) 684-5349 to schedule or discuss more about water filters and water testing in Connecticut!

At ony time or another, we all have encountered water that either smelled differently, tasted differently or even looked differently. Depending where you are in the State of Connecticut, each one of these sense categories can be affected.

So what is it when your water smells, tastes or even looks different? Our guide below should be able to resolve some confusion. However, with any of these, we always recommend that you have your water looked at by an Aqua Pump professional to ensure that your water is clean and healthy to ingest.

My water looks:

Cloudy well water: Cloudy well water could be the product of several problems and/or causes. While we have written many blogs about this in the past, the best course of action is to call Aqua Pump if the water continues to show cloudiness after it has come out of the faucet and has had time to settle.

My water smells:

Rotten Eggs: Most likely this is sulfer that is finding a nice spot inside your well water. This smell is subtle and you wont miss it when you smell it.

Swimming pool: This means that you have high levels of chlorine in your water.

There are other smells that people recognize such as very natural, earthy smells, which should notify the homeowner to have the water looked at as soon as possible. Often times, this can mean a source of bacteria and could be a health hazard to you and your family. Your senses should guide you to concern, especially in this instance.

My water tastes:

Like Metal? If so, there is a good chance your water containes metals such as dissolved lead, manganese, copper, arsenic, mercury, etc.

Salt Water? If you water has that taste of salt water (never a good taste), it means the threat of possible sulfate or bacteria in your water. Again, in any instance, you always want to get your water tested in case there is a larger threat.

While the indicators above can help close in on a particular water change, Having your water tested annually is highly suggested, since Connecticut Homeowners are responsible for their own water testing.

Aqua Pump has proudly served the entire state of Connecticut and can help you determine what threats are more prevelant in your CT area. For more information, dont hesitate to contact our team at (860) 683-5349 to schedule your testing today!